Wildlife

Photographer: 1 Horned Toad from Mary O'Brien, 2 Pinyon Jay from USFS, 3 Pika calling from Mary OBrien, and 4 boreal toad from iNaturalist.

Note: No Alternatives to the Forest’s proposed management of wildlife are offered in the DEIS.

GOALS

Conservation Alternative Goals (FW-WILDLIFE-GL): 01

1. The MLNF collaborates with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and forest users to manage wildlife populations on behalf of all native wildlife and plant species.

Proposed Management Plan (Management Plan, Vol. 1) Goals (FW-WILDLIFE-GL): 01-02

1. Collaborate with other agencies and local partners to improve and enhance existing fish and wildlife habitat.

   
   

2. Coordinate with other federal, state, tribal and local land management agencies to monitor species identified in their management plans. This may include, but is not limited to, species identified in their wildlife action plans, big game management plans, and US Fish and Wildlife Service recovery plans.

DESIRED CONDITIONS

Conservation Alternative Desired Conditions (FW-WILDLIFE-DC): 01-19

1. Habitat conditions contribute to keeping common native species common, contributing to the recovery of threatened and endangered species, conserving species that are candidates and proposed for federal listing, and maintaining viable populations of species of conservation concern and of cultural significance to Tribes.

   
   

2. Habitat conditions allow for repatriation of extirpated species, preclude the need for listing new species, and improve conditions for species of conservation concern; and of cultural significance to Tribes.

   
   

3. The resource uses of wild ungulate populations are in balance with the habitat needs of non-game wildlife and native plant species.

   
   

4. MLNF conditions support expansion and restoration of beaver and native fish populations to their historic range. 

   
   

5. Annual production of native flowers support native vertebrate and invertebrate pollinators at natural patterns of distribution and abundance.

   
   

6. Landscape patterns provide habitat connectivity for all native species, especially for strongly interacting species and species of declining populations.

   
   

7. Roadless areas facilitate the maintenance and restoration of wildlife and fisheries.

   
   

8. Habitat conditions provide the resiliency, redundancy, and representation necessary to maintain native wildlife species connectivity and metapopulations. 

   
   

9. Habitats necessary to support native fish and wildlife are restored and maintained at natural patterns of abundance and distribution.

   
   

10. Streambanks are undercut and support overhanging canopy (e.g., grasses, willows, trees) for aquatic habitat cover.

    
    

11. Species are able to access adjoining habitat, disperse, migrate, meet their life history requirements, and adjust their movements in response to climate change.

    
    

    Connectivity

    
    

12. The movement, dispersal, and genetic exchange of native plants and pollinators, aquatic organisms, black bear, strongly interactive species (e.g., cougars, beavers, wolves, etc.), deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife populations are supported by native habitat. 

    
    

13. Wildlife species are able to access adjoining habitat, disperse, migrate, meet their life history requirements, and adjust their movements in response to climate change.

    
    

    Predators

14. Habitat that is secure for carnivores contributes to natural species diversity.

    
    

15. A prey base for native carnivores is maintained to enable the sustained viability of populations of carnivore species within the MLNF.

    
    

16. Road density remains below 1.5 miles per square mile in all transportation decisions. 

    
    

17. Interconnected terrestrial, riparian, and aquatic habitats promote wildlife, fish, and plant species movements and genetic exchange, allow for movement of wide-ranging species, and promote natural predator-prey relationships, particularly for strongly interactive species such as mountain lions and other carnivores.

    
    

18. Human conflict-caused carnivore mortality is zero per year. 

    
    

19. Caves, mines, and other underground habitats provide undisturbed habitat for native bat species.

Proposed Management Plan (Management Plan, Vol. 1) Desired Conditions (FW-WILDLIFE-DC): 01-10

1. Landscape patterns provide habitat connectivity for native species, particularly wide-ranging species such as mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk. Habitat connectivity promotes daily and seasonal movement of animals to facilitate maintenance of genetic diversity.

   
   

2. Habitat connectivity for big game is maintained by managing road densities and large blocks of habitat. 

   
   

3. Multiple and secure occurrences of wildlife habitats exist across the landscape so that alternative habitats may be used by wildlife following disturbance events and during crucial times of the year. 

   
   

4. Big game and other species of socioeconomic interest have habitats with sufficient cover, forage, and security, allowing animals to prosper to maintain harvestable populations. 

   
   

5. Suitable habitats for resident and migratory birds provide key life history requirements, such as nesting, foraging, and wintering. 

   
   

6. Caves, mines, cracks, rock cavities, and other underground habitats provide undisturbed suitable habitat for native bat species and populations to raising young, roost, and hibernate. 

   
   

7.  Habitat conditions provide the necessary quality and spatial arrangement of forage, security, and cover for Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer on mapped winter and summer range. 

   
   

8. Healthy, resilient habitats and related enhancements, such as habitat management actions and range improvements, support native and desirable nonnative fish and wildlife species.

   
   

9. Nest, den sites, and other breeding and rearing areas for birds are undisturbed during the period during which they are active in those sites or areas. 

   
   

10. Nonnative or introduced wildlife species are only present when they do not pose a threat to the long-term persistence of native species or their habitat.

OBJECTIVES

Conservation Alternative Objectives (FW-WILDLIFE-OB): 01

1. Within one year following plan approval, the known presence of whirling disease is mapped from existing data for each stream on MLNF, and is updated annually.

Proposed Management Plan (Management Plan, Vol. 1) Objectives (FW-WILDLIFE-OB): 01

1. Construct or re-design a minimum of four water sources for wildlife within ten years of the plan approval. 

STANDARDS

Conservation Alternative Standards (FW-WILDLIFE-ST): 01-08

1. Proposed management activities shall explicitly describe the potential and documented presence of all populations of conservation agreement species within the area proposed for management. 

   
   

2. Non-native fish are not introduced into streams where native fish species occur.

   
   

3. All existing MLNF roadless areas remain roadless. 

   
   

4. Beaver dams will not be removed unless techniques that sustain beavers (e.g., piping through dams to reduce water levels (“pond levelers”), fencing culverts (“beaver deceivers”) cannot feasibly support functionality of infrastructure or other features in conflict with beaver presence.

   
   

5. Beaver families are live-trapped whenever possible and moved to appropriate habitat when being removed from a site in which beaver cannot feasibly remain.

   
   

6. Mexican spotted owl canyon nesting and roosting habitat, based on the most recent habitat models, shall be protected from disturbance during the breeding season, March 1 to August 30. 

   
   

7. Camping and overnight use associated with commercial outfitter and guide permits shall be prohibited in designated Mexican spotted owl territories during the breeding season, March 1 to August 30. 

   
   

8. The use of hounds for the recreational pursuit or hunting of black bears or bobcats is prohibited; the use of a bait for the recreational hunting of black bears is prohibited.

Proposed Management Plan (Management Plan, Vol. 1) Standards (FW-WILDLIFE-GD): 01

1. All open-top vertical pipes with an inside diameter greater than one inch, including but not limited to those used for fences, survey markers, building plumbing vents, or signs, shall be equipped or guarded with caps or mesh wire to prevent animal entrapments.

GUIDELINES

Conservation Alternative Guidelines (FW-WILDLIFE-GD): 01-09

1. The Utah Wildlife Action Plan should be used to focus management on habitat maintenance for the species listed in it.

   
   

2. To maintain or restore habitat connectivity for wildlife, management actions should not create movement barriers to wide-ranging species such as medium to large carnivores and wild ungulates, except where necessary to provide for human or wildlife safety.

   
   

3. Vegetation management activities in a key linkage area should include design features to restore, maintain or enhance habitat connectivity for long distance range shifts of wide-ranging wildlife species.

   
   

4. New permanent facilities or structures for administrative or public use should not be constructed within key linkage areas unless needed to address on-going or imminent resource concerns within the key linkage area, including but not limited to, degradation of wildlife habitat connectivity. Any new permanent facilities or structures and relocation of existing facilities within key linkage area s should be designed and located so that wildlife movement patterns are not significantly or permanently disrupted.

   
   

5. To maintain habitat quality and limit disturbance effects on wildlife movement patterns, a key linkage area should be free of sustained substantial disturbance for at least four years out of every 10-year period, including at least two consecutive years of no sustained substantial disturbance. Sustained substantial disturbance should be defined as the use of heavy equipment or low-level helicopter flights for vegetation management actions for a total of more than 30 days throughout an entire key linkage area in a calendar year.

   
   

6. Existing and/or designated roads and/or trails may be subject to closures if conflicts with native wildlife cannot be mitigated.

   
   

7. Wildlife-friendly design and materials should be used with all fencing installation or reconstruction. 

   
   

8. Abandoned mines should be monitored and surveyed prior to reclamation to identify bat use. If bats are present, bat gates should be installed.

   
   

9. Wind energy structures should be located and designed to minimize or prevent wildlife mortality.

Proposed Management Plan (Management Plan, Vol. 1) Guidelines (FW-WILDLIFE-GD): 01-07

1. To avoid disturbance to roosting, hibernating, or breeding bats, management actions should not occur in caves, mines, and other habitats known to be used by bats. 

   
   

2. To maintain bat populations, monitoring and surveying should occur prior to reclamation of abandoned mines to determine if the mines are used by bats. If bats are present, population enhancement and protection measures – including seasonal closures, public education, and wildlife-friendly closures such as gates – should be installed unless absolute closure is necessary for human safety. 

   
   

3. To minimize hazards to wildlife, new fence installation or reconstruction should be sited and designed to allow wildlife movement. 

   
   

4. To maintain healthy ecological conditions across the forest, introduced or nonnative wildlife species should be removed when their presence adversely affects native species or their habitat.

   
   

5.  To protect big game during seasonal occupation, management actions in key winter and summer range should be avoided or minimized during the period of use. 

   
   

6. To maintain or enhance big game habitat, vegetation management actions in key winter and summer range should be designed to maintain or enhance forage, cover, and other habitat components for these species.

   
   

7. To minimize or avoid potential adverse impacts to nesting raptors when implementing management activities, a raptor survey or nest search should be conducted when existing raptor information is unavailable or determined to be insufficient. If survey is warranted, the level of survey should be determined by project type and scale, habitat suitability models, standard protocols, past survey results, and other best available scientific information.

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ABOUT THIS COMPARISON

Note: No Alternatives to the Forest’s proposed management of wildlife are offered in the DEIS.

All text in this chart is copied and pasted from the Conservation Alternative, the proposed Management Plan, and the DEIS except for any text in brackets and in italics font.

YELLOW HIGHLIGHTED TEXT

Provisions for management of wildlife and their habitat that were submitted in the  Conservation Alternative.

Yellow-masked text: Conservation Alternative provisions that are particularly important, but since the Conservation Alternative was not included in the DEIS, they have not been offered to the public as options for their comment. 

BLUE HIGHLIGHTED TEXT

Provisions for  management of pollinators and pollinator habitat in the Forest’s proposed Management Plan (which is Alternative B in the DEIS)

Blue-masked text: Forest Plan provisions that differ in important ways with the Conservation Alternative.